Post subject: Re: Port sprint car dropPosted: Fri Dec 26, 2008 6:23 pm


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Joined: Thu Feb 02, 2006 8:28 am
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Location: Camp Hill/Port Royal From the Lewistown Sentinel
http://www.lewistownsentinel.com/pag....html?nav=5006





PORT ROYAL - This year, Port Royal residents and those of surrounding areas might have different plans for ringing in the new year.

On Dec. 31, Port Royal will feature a first-of-its-kind sprint car drop near the Port Royal speedway to celebrate the new year. The car will be lifted about 130 feet in the air by crane sometime during the afternoon on New Year's Eve, and will hang there for passers-by to see. Then, at midnight, it will be dropped slowly by the crane, said Barney Gray, owner of MacBarney's restaurant, who thought of the idea.

The purpose of lifting the car high into the air is for people to be able to see it from all areas, Gray said.

"It will be well visible," he said.

Gray's idea to do the car drop was something he had been thinking about for a long time, and was sparked by Port Royal being known for car racing, he said.

The car's owner, Clark Simonton, of Port Royal, said Gray asked him about a month and a half ago if he could supply the car, and Simonton agreed.

"If he wants to do it, that's fine," he said. "Just don't drop it."

The car, which is a 2007 model, is one of two sprint cars Simonton owns. He said he raced cars for about two years, but had to stop because the current state of the economy has made it difficult for him to get sponsors, he said.

Simonton said he plans help set up the event, as well as watch it.